Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Prevention and risks

Maintaining good hand and respiratory hygiene are very important personal practices that help reduce the risk of infection or spreading infection to others.

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
  • If soap and water aren’t available, use a hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
• When coughing or sneezing:
  • cough or sneeze into a tissue or the bend of your arm, not your hand
  • dispose of any tissues you’ve used as soon as possible in a lined waste basket and wash your hands immediately afterwards
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

Together, we can slow the spread of COVID-19 by making a conscious effort to keep a physical distance between each other. Physical distancing is proven to be one of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of illness during an outbreak.

This means making changes in your everyday routines to minimize close contact with others, including:

• avoiding crowded places and non-essential travel
• avoiding common greetings, such as handshakes
• limiting contact with people at higher risk, such as older adults and those with underlying medical conditions or weakened immune systems
• keeping a distance of at least 2 arms-length (approximately 2 metres) from others

Wearing a non-medical mask or face covering while out in public is recommended for periods of time when it’s not possible to consistently maintain a 2-metre physical distance from others, particularly in crowded public settings, such as:

• shopping areas
• public transportation
• stores and personal service settings

In some situations, provincial or territorial public health authorities have made it mandatory to wear a non-medical mask (or face covering) in public areas. Public health officials make such recommendations based on a number of factors, including how much COVID-19 is circulating in your community. In some jurisdictions, the use of masks in many indoor public spaces and on public transit is now mandatory. You can check with your local public health authority on the requirements for your location.

Masks alone won’t prevent the spread of COVID-19. You must consistently and strictly adhere to good hygiene and public health measures, including core personal practices like frequent hand washing and physical distancing.

For more information on wearing non-medical masks and cloth face coverings, refer to the:

• guidelines on wearing non-medical masks and how to make your own
• COVID-19 Special Advisory Committee's recommendations on the use of non-medical cloth masks or face coverings in community settings

The COVID-19 virus is most likely to be on surfaces you frequently touch with your hands. Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces to lower the chance of COVID-19 spreading in your home, workplace and public spaces.

Health Canada has published a list of hard surface disinfectants that are likely to be effective for use against COVID-19.

Special precautions must be used when cleaning with bleach to avoid serious incidents.

Have you been on a recent flight, cruise or train trip? Check the listed exposure locations to see if you may have been exposed to COVID-19.

Coronaviruses can result in severe illness for some people in our communities. Those that are more at risk of developing severe complications from COVID-19 are people who:

• have an underlying medical condition
• have a weakened immune system
• are an older adult

People at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should reconsider attending gatherings. This includes large gatherings and even smaller events in crowded or enclosed settings.

If you have symptoms, stay at home in isolation and consider getting a COVID-19 test.

If you’re pregnant and concerned about COVID-19, speak to your health care provider.

Because COVID-19 is a new disease, we’re still learning how it affects pregnant people. At this time, there’s no evidence to suggest that pregnant people are at a greater risk:

• for more serious outcomes related to COVID-19
• of having their developing child negatively affected by COVID-19

You can protect yourself from becoming ill by taking the following precautions.

• Stay home as much as possible, except for important medical appointments.
• Make limited trips to the store for essentials.
• Avoid crowded places and peak-hours.
• Talk to your doctor, obstetrician or midwife about the possibility of telephone or videoconference appointments.
• Avoid unnecessary visitors to your home.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • Use hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol if soap and water aren’t available.
• Practise physical distancing by keeping a distance of at least 2 metres from others.
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes without washing your hands first.
• Avoid travel by public transit as much as possible.

For more information, refer to our advice on pregnancy, childbirth and caring for newborns.

The risk of getting COVID-19 may be increased for travellers. If you must travel, check the latest travel advice before you leave.

If you’re a returning traveller (either travelling into Canada, or, in some instances, travelling from one province or territory to another) you’ll be required to:

• quarantine (self-isolate) at home when you may have been exposed to COVID-19 and have no symptoms
• isolate yourself if you have symptoms of COVID-19 and it’s possible that you’ve been exposed to the virus

We’ll continue to adapt our risk assessment based on the latest data available.

Additional restrictions apply to travellers returning to Canada.

It’s not certain how long the virus survives on surfaces, but it seems to behave like other coronaviruses. Research suggests that the virus may live on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days depending on:

• temperature
• type of surface
• humidity of the environment

Surfaces frequently touched with your own hands or other peoples hands are most likely to become contaminated, including:

• tables
• phones
• handrails
• doorknobs
• credit cards
• countertops
• light switches
• faucet handles
• steering wheel
• cabinet handles
• elevator buttons

Packages that you receive in the mail may be contaminated, but because parcels generally take a few days to be delivered, the risk of spread is low.  

To protect yourself from COVID-19, make sure to do the following when handling products shipped within or outside of Canada:

• wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after handling the package
• avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, especially with unwashed hands

There’s no evidence that COVID-19 can spread through the water. However, it can spread from person to person through close contact in and around the water. This includes crowded spaces, such as:

• public:
  • lakes
  • rivers
  • beaches
  • swimming pools
• pool decks
• change rooms
• public washrooms

COVID-19 can also spread through contaminated surfaces. Avoid sharing swimming gear with others. This includes things like:

• towels
• goggles
• pool toys
• nose clips
• kick boards
• snorkel equipment
• lifejackets that haven’t been cleaned after use

There’s currently no evidence to suggest that food is a likely source or route of transmission of the virus. There are currently no reported cases of COVID-19 transmission through food.

Scientists and food safety authorities across the world are closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19.

If we become aware of a potential food safety risk, appropriate actions will be taken to ensure the safety of Canada's food supply.

Coronaviruses are killed by common cleaning and disinfection methods and by cooking food to safe internal temperatures.

Learn more about food safety and healthy eating during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current spread of COVID-19 is a result of human-to-human transmission. There’s no evidence to suggest that animals infected by humans are playing a role in the ongoing spread of this disease. Animals and COVID-19 is an area that continues to be studied by scientists.

Learn how to keep pets and livestock, as well as yourself, safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

More research is needed to determine if the virus that causes COVID-19 can be transmitted sexually. When deciding to have sex with new partners, regardless of their sex or gender, remember to consider personal and public health.

Sexual activity with new partners increases your risk of getting or passing COVID-19. Even if the people involved don’t have symptoms, they could still be sick. If you decide to have sex with someone outside of your circle of contacts, take steps to reduce your risks.

• Monitor yourself for symptoms and don’t have sex if anyone involved is feeling sick.
• Limit your number of new sexual partners.
• Consider getting tested for COVID-19.
• Take extra precautions with partners who are at risk for severe COVID-19 illness, such as people who:
  • are older adults
  • have underlying medical conditions or a weakened immune system
• Consider approaches such as limiting your use of alcohol and other substances, so you and your partners are able to make safe decisions.

It’s important to continue practising safer sex, including getting tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

For more information on how to protect your sexual health during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit:

• CATIE: Canada’s source for HIV and hepatitis C information
• SIECAN: Sexual health and COVID-19 (PDF)